Jon's Page

A classic game

Sorting through the cupboard in the newly redecorated living room I reckon it's time to clear out a few old board games. Although not a huge collection by some people's standards, I must admit to having a few more board games than most normal people. I suppose the decision should be based on the quality of the game and how often I have played it, and how likely it is I might play it again. This one is a classic original, Civilisation, superceded by a mass market version that is a touch more playable. Both are pretty epic, ten hour plus games so I've not played either one all that often. You start off with a single counter and as your population builds you create cities, that bring in trade goods, that you swap with other players in a mutually beneficial way, that earns you 'money' that buys civilisation advances that assist you in little ways and build up your point total to advance you across the Archeological Succession Table towards ultimate victory. There are disasters that can befall you, and you need to keep a balance between cities and agriculture or else your people starve. Satisfying when you get to play to the end, but it rarely happens! And as the Avalon Hill reworked version is a just little better, I'll let this one go. It is from the British games makers Hartland Trefoil who also did 1829, the railway building game that spawned not just a AH version (1830) but a series of others that became known as the 18xx series. IMHO 1830 is also better than 1829, so despite the local interest of the northern board that includes Scotland and features the very early Arbroath and Forfar railway, I think it too will be going. Just need to work out how best to dispose of them among the different online marketplace options! Should I go for a specialist site that might involve more complex postage or settle for a lower price for a local buyer... hmmm